Saying Goodbye to Atmo

 This has been a very stressful week in the Heinisch home.  Changes at Doug's work and the waivering back and forth from the Elkhart County Health Department about schools opening in person have been upsetting to say the least.  The worst part of our week occurred today, however, when Atmo lost his battle to stay alive.  As sad as it was for all of us, it was even more heartbreaking to watch Rizzo try to comfort him in his last few hours.  We do not know what Atmo's cause of death was, we just know that he had been eating less and on Tuesday he stopped completely and wouldn't even take in water.  He also started making a meowing sound that we had never heard before this week.  Meg held out hope that it was something that he would recover from until yesterday when it was obvious that his little body was struggling just to breathe.

I was sad when Cosmo and Apollo died, but with Atmo it was even more difficult to watch.  I don't know if it was because I felt terrible for Rizzo or if it was because Cam, Meg and I had really enjoyed the "pigs" these past few months.  Taking them outside was one of our favorite social distancing activity.  Their behavior was a bright spot during a challenging time in our lives.  They loved their new houses and we each laughed about them cramming themselves into one when they were scared (or when Cameorn tried to feed them.) It was that shared space that they retreated to in the end and it was nice to know that Atmo didn't have to die alone.  I know that so many have lost so much more these past five months, but for us this was a hard blow.  All I can hope for now is that things only get better from here.  

The Lotto

 Brett's new career has been an awesome experience for him so far.  He's learned a lot just in the month that he has been there and has found success in meeting his first sales quota.  One of the unexpected perks for him has been the small incentives that have been given out along the way to meeting the sales requirements.  Although his favorite has been the cash bonus for meeting occupency rates, the scratch off lotttery tickets that he has accrued since he started working have been a lot of fun as well.  

Brett told us tonight that he has earned fifty cents on the dollar for the lottery tickets that he has received thus far.  Doug said that was pretty good as the average return for lottery tickets is 19 cents.  Because of that statistic, Doug said that he would prefer the $1 spent for the ticket.  Cal completely disagreed.  He said that he would love to get the lottery tickets for a job well done at work.  The chance to win $100 or $500 would be thrilling enough as a bonus.  I realized that Cal was always the lucky one with money and probably would end up with the top cash prize anyway.  Brett's reaction has been somewhat in between Doug and Cal's.  He realizes that he probably won't hit big, but it has been fun trying especially since he didn't have to pay for the tickets.  My opinion is drastically different than all of the guys.  Whether Brett earns lottery tickets or cash bonuses, I am just so incredibly pleased that Brett has found the job that he was looking for and pray that his success continues.  

Sewing & Crafts

 One positive about the stay at home order followed by the social distancing guidelines has been the amount of time it has given us to work on crafts in the Heinisch home.  Cal and Doug haven't joined in the fun, but have given positive reviews on our work.  The first project that I worked on was a large latch hook lighthouse wall hanging.  I also spent time on cross stitching as well.  My next goal has been to learn to crochet which I plan to work on this fall.  

Meg and Cam have also spent time crafting during the pandemic.  Cam learned to tye die and worked on painting and oragami as well.  Once golf season began and tennis practices started at Bethany, Cam's time crafting wanned.  Meg has been the one who has produced the most in the craft department since March.  She has worked on friendship bracelets, painting, making her own necklaces and tie dying.  My favorite activity that she has done this summer, however, has been repurposing clothes for herself and her friends.  She did some thrifting in Bloomington and has raided her Grandma's closet looking for shirts and swimsuits to crop and take-in for a new look.  I have been extremely impressed with her sewing ability and have loved her "new" wardrobe.  

With all of the crafts going on in the Heinisch family I finally decided to purchase a sewing/craft table for the mud room.  The desk that originally held the sewing machine was moved to Cameron's room for e-learning this spring.  We had been using our six foot tote table for sewing, but that was awkward and took up a lot of space in the room.  I read a lot of reviews on Wayfair, Amazon and Walmart regarding sewing/craft tables and finally found the perfect one for our space.  I was thrilled that it arrived a week earlier than expected and was thankful that Doug was able to put it together for me tonight.  Meg and I both love it and she was even able to put it to good use before the evening was over.  

Sewing and crafting have been a fun way to pass the time during the coronavirus outbreak.  Grandma Jane has enjoyed seeing all of the end products that have been produced in the Heinisch home recently.  I know that Grandma Heinisch would have loved watching Meg sew and craft these past four months as well.  It was the activity that they enjoyed the most when spending time together.  

Disney Food Blog

At the start of the stay at home order Meg introduced me to the Disney Food Blog on YouTube.  As our Disney World trip was cancelled in March due to the pandemic, she thought it would be something fun to watch and help us still feel connected to the Disney magic.  At first I wasn't sure if I would enjoy watching the posts or not.  I had been to Disney World 20+ times in my life and didn't think that there was a lot left to learn.

Thankfully, my opinion was completely wrong and it has been a mainstay on my television ever since I watched my first post.  My favorite segments have been the weekly updates on park reopenings.   The videos that have been shown almost make me feel as though I was going to the park myself.  In addition to the current news at Disney there have also been videos highlighting "Food and Wine:  Best of the Fest", "37 Hidden Magic Kingdom Secrets" and many more.  Since watching Disney Food Blog, Meg and I have spent a good portion of our daily walks talking about the videos, the fun that we have had in the parks, and what we want to do the next time we visit.  Meg has been sure that I would be a great addition to the blog posts giving my own "expert" advice.  I wouldn't go that far, but I definitely have enjoyed watching them.  It has made me forget all about the coronavirus on many occassions and that has been a welcome relief.

The School Debate

The news has been filled with thoughts on whether school should open for in-person learning this fall or remain closed.  The debate has hit close to home as schools in Elkhart County plan to open with a hybrid learning option of classroom and e-learning days while St. Joseph county schools will follow a virtual learning plan until well after Labor Day.  In Kosciusko County schools will be open with students in the buildings five days a week and masks will not be required in the classroom.  Each school system worked with their county's health department to devise their reopening plan.  It's just been interesting to see how communities relatively close in proximity have come up with completely different ways to begin school this fall.

Because of all of this uncertainty we feel incredibly fortunate that Cameron has the opportunity to attend Bethany.  Their weekly emails outlining their safety measures allowing for students to return have been impressived.  Safety protocols have been strictly followed at each meeting that Doug has attened at Bethany this past month, including tonight's fall sports parent meeting that was held on the soccer field so that everyone could social distance.  Even though it was outside, participants were still required to wear masks.  We realize that there will still be risk sending Cam back to school this year, but we also realize that the coronavirus may be around for months and we have to learn to live safely in this new reality.  Bethany trying two days of in-person learning and three days of e-learing at first seems like a good place to start.

A Quick Visit

Nick left for Purdue three weeks ago to finish his flight courses from the spring.  He was excited to go as he would be able to see his friends and be on his own for a little while before school started in August.  He and Meg had made plans to see each other while he was gone, but classes, tests and flight slots made that impossible until this weekend.  Meg was excited to get to spend some time with him even though it would only be for a few days.

Sadly, the coronavirus put a dent into their plans.  Nick's flight instructor texted him on Thursday to let him know that he had a sore throat and was going to get tested for COVID-19.  Nick decided to be cautious and get tested as well.  His test came back negative, but he didn't want to come home until his instructor's did as well.  Unfortunately, up through today the results still weren't available.  Meg and Nick were both disppointed as they were looking forward to a few days together. Nick didn't want to risk getting Meg sick and they weren't sure what they were going to do.  Cam suggested that Nick still come home and they just social distance in the backyard.  It had worked well for he and Bailee this summer.  After thinking about the options they decided that it was the best solution.

Although the day wasn't what they had had planned, Meg and Nick still had a lot of fun.  They enjoyed a picnic lunch and dinner, talked, laughed, listened to both neighbors mowing their yards, and even talked Cam into bringing the television and Wii outside to play Swap Meet and Island Board game with them.  When it rained late in the day, the social distancing get together moved into the garage and the games continued.  In the end both Nick and Meg were happy with how the day turned out.  The pandemic has definitely changed how activities happen in the Heinisch family, but thankfully we have all definitely leanred how to make the best of it. 

VIP Week

When Cal came home for the summer he decided to work at Tippy Country Club as a bag boy.  He had done this several other summers and thought it'd be a fun way to earn some extra money.  He also thought the schedule would allow him time to still study for the CPA.  Doug and I were glad that he made that decision.  Sitting around waiting to start his job in January with only the drudgery of studying would have ben a horrible way for Cal to spend his summer.  Overall it has been a great experience for him.  He's met a lot of new people and has done well in tips.  He worked one Friday pretty much by himself as it was the day of Warsaw High School's graduation.  He made $300 that day alone.

This weekend was Tippy's VIP member event and Cal was excited to be a part of it.  He would have plenty of opportunities to socialize and make some good money at the same time.  Since we've rearranged our living space so that he can now come and go while still social distancing from the rest of us, life has gotten a lot easier for everyone in the Heinisch home.  Tippy has also started requiring the bag boys to wear masks which was a relief to me.  Cal was supposed to start working for Plante Moran this week, but the pandemic changed that for him.  Proud of him for making the best of it.